Energy Audits, Whether DIY or Professional, Provide Answers to Inefficiency

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Do you use energy-efficient lighting and keep a close eye on heating, cooling and hot water usage, but you’re still puzzled by sky-high energy bills?

The solution to your energy flux, and that of many other Cincinnati area homeowners, is a comprehensive energy audit.

Energy audits: DIY or professional?

An energy audit is the process of analyzing and measuring where energy is being wasted in a home. For DIY energy auditors, simple tools like an incense stick, caulk and weatherstripping can be used to reveal and seal air leaks.

Here’s the step-by-step DIY method:

  • Close all windows and doors.
  • Light an incense stick and hold it up to window and door seams, electrical outlets, the garage access door and the attic hatch or door.
  • Any place where the smoke wavers is the location of an air leak.
  • Use weatherstripping around doors, including the attic hatch or door.
  • Use silicon caulk to seal cracks around windows.
  • Install gaskets behind outlet plates.

A professional energy audit entails the use of specialized equipment by a qualified technician that accurately pinpoints and measures air leakage and implements infrared imaging to reveal areas lacking insulation. Energy-usage habits are analyzed, as well as other dynamics of the household, such as work schedules, areas unoccupied much of the time, average thermostat settings and the type of thermostat in use.

  • A blower door test depressurizes your home, revealing air leaks as outside air is pulled inside. A calibrated test indicates the rate of leakage over a specified time.
  • A thermal scan using infrared video reveals hot and cold spots around the exterior of your home, indicating areas that are lacking in insulation.

A professional energy audit is much more detailed than this brief description. You’ll receive a printout of the results and suggestions for useful measures you can take to make your home more efficient and comfortable, and to finally shrink those energy bills.

If you’d like more detailed information about a home energy audit, contact the professionals at Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We’ve helped homeowners in greater Cincinnati with HVAC, plumbing and energy-efficiency issues for more than 100 years.

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"Ernie & Mike did a superb job on my new furnace and A/C installation. Despite having more than a day’s work to do, they came in and stayed until the job was done. They were organized, efficient, and protected the rest of the house well. Got both furnace and A/C installed the same day. Ernie was courteous, informative, and clearly knew his job better than anyone I’ve encountered before. The units look so good guests now get The Tour of our new system. Apollo is clearly not a fly-by-night company. I would recommend them to anyone in need of a new furnace and/or A/C."
- Jerry A.
"I called Apollo because of a water leak I thought I had in our upstairs shower going into the kitchen. Robbie came and assured me everything was fine & looked at all the other plumbing. He ended up changing a few pipes for our washer & clearing a drain. He was very nice & knowledgeable with all my questions. I ended up signing up for the care plan & was very happy with my service."
- Cassandra B.
"The team at Apollo exceeded my expectations. As a business owner, my attention to the details and commitment to providing excellent service is high. From the sales rep. to the installation team, everyone’s performance was outstanding. For example, the installation team went to great lengths to protect our floors, placing floor runners and across the wood floors and up the stairs. They even were spot washing walls upon their departure. I highly recommend this company."
- Randy B.
"We scheduled an estimate AND a tune-up. We knew something was wrong with our furnace, but hoped we could make it through the rest of the season. Upon telling Bill what our furnace was doing, he warned us immediately what the possible outcome was going to be; a cracked heat exchanger. He watched the flames roll backward, tested carbon monoxide levels, which were so high they meter’s last reading was 5,600 before saying “high”. He immediately shut it down, tagged it, and explained that with levels that high and children in our home he wanted off right away. He continued his inspection and showed us via a camera that not only was it cracked in multiple places, but had holes all over it. He gave us a few options for repairing it; his knowledge as well as genuine concern was beneficial and refreshing. Luckily we also scheduled an estimator, Micah, to come too and we were able to get costs between repairing and replacing (with several options). We decided to replace with a much higher efficiency furnace and one sized properly to our home. Hands down, not only did they both provide us great service and knowledge, but without sounding dramatic, they may have saved our lives. This was our first time calling Apollo, but it won’t be our last."
- Sarah B.
"Apollo is an excellent company. I always receive great service. Alex A. was professional and friendly. He kept me informed during the process of checking my furnace and heat pump to make sure they were working properly. The company makes sure you are notified who is coming and when they are on the way. All my interactions with the company have been wonderful."
- Beverly S.
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